


serafim

by pturple_ptatoe



Category: Original Work
Genre: mature themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:01:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23832043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pturple_ptatoe/pseuds/pturple_ptatoe
Summary: High fantasy original short story. But like,,, without the magic bit





	serafim

The ale was foul and thin, but that didn’t stop Ser from draining the entire tankard. He slammed it back down onto the grimy table with a thud. He looked around eagerly at the sound of men entering and then frowned as none were the one he was waiting for.  _ Where are you, Raeph?  _ The anxious thought seeped in, filling him worry.  _ Have I misread you so completely that I failed to perceive your cold feet? _ Out of doubt, he reran the scene in his mind.

“What’s the matter?” Raeph had asked him. There was genuine concern in his eyes, and for that Ser loved him.

He had hesitated then, wishing he could tell him the truth. That he wasn’t really a mummer called Aeble, that it was just a guise to escape. That he and his brother (whom he called Fim) ran the web of whispers and trickery. That it was Ser  _ and _ Fim that ran it - the game that one is actually two. That he was tired of playing. That he wanted out.

“I wish I could leave,” Ser had decided to say. “From here. From all of it. I wish I could run away and become someone new.”

“Then do it.”

Ser shook his head. “It’s not that simple.”

“Is it not? Ships leave the East Port every day. The cost to board as an extra passenger can’t be more than - what? Three coppers?”

Ser didn’t bother responding. There was too much he couldn’t say.

“Actually, I’ve been thinking of leaving myself. To one of the Six Cities, you know? You could come with me, Aeb.”

Ser looked up at Raeph. His eyes were sincere. The concept was madness - something he would never do. And perhaps that was the reason why he should. His brother could run the web without him - the distribution of control had never been equal anyways . . . 

So where was Raeph? Ser was at the correct place, at the correct time to meet. A thousand explanations raced through his mind as to why he hadn’t shown yet. Staring at the entrance, Ser willed the next person to be his friend with the kind blue eyes.

But instead, the person who walked in looked to be himself. Too skinny, too pale, overlong hair the unremarkable color of ash, and eyes the same queer shade as elephant shit. Ser scowled.  _ Why in the seven gods is my brother here? _

“You’d think,” his twin said as he sat down beside him, “a pub called The White Lady would be in better condition. A place as old, dirty, and used as this would be better named ‘the Brown Whore’. But then again, isn’t everything in the Outlins basking in its own filth?”

“Here to see me off?” Ser’s tone was not warm.

“On the contrary, the very opposite.” Could his brother tell his mouth had gone dry? “You see, your dear friend - Raeph, is it? Well, he seemed to mistake me for someone named Aeble. Not one of your best pseudonyms, I must say, but --”

“What did he tell you?” Ser feared he already knew.

“Mind you, he said this in the nicest way possible, and he felt utterly terrible about --”

“ _ What did he tell you? _ ”

Fim gave him a sympathetic look. “He changed his mind, dear. He didn’t want you coming with him after all. He left yesterday. He didn’t tell me which City he was going to.”

Ser looked away, arranging his features into an emotionless mask.  _ I will not cry in front of my brother. _

“Hey, this is a good thing.” His brother grabbed his hand with his. The seven rings on Fim’s fingers were cold.  _ There used to be six. Why are there seven? _ “You are a valuable asset to me. The web would have suffered with you gone. We can only flourish together, for alone we would wither. After all, we are the same, are we not?

Ser gave a convincing smile. “Same mind, same face, same name.”

His brother lied, Ser realized later. Fim knew his fear and spun a story from it to make him stay.  _ Perhaps I should be flattered _ , thought Ser bitterly,  _ to have underestimated my brother’s regard of me. _ He had always assumed he was disposable in his brother’s eyes.  _ But not disposable enough to set me free, apparently _ . Guilt ate at him for how incorrectly he had read his part.  _ I should have known Fim would eliminate my grounds to leave. If I had, Raeph wouldn’t be dead. _

Ser had figured out the extra ring. His brother had a habit of wearing a silver band for every person he killed. His brother never told him who they were, but it was easy enough to deduce.  _ The first was was the man who raped our mother, the fourth was the fat old lord of Ironstone, the sixth was the pretty maid with red hair who knew too much, and the seventh the sweet boy who was my means out. _ Fim would regret this, Ser decided. He would find his own way free.

***

  
From afar, Myr reckoned the body at the bottom of the cliff was that of an old woman. She wasn’t surprised at the sight; several fell off a year. Upon closer distance, she realized she was wrong. The clothes weren’t right for women, and the the face was unwrinkled. She rummaged to see if there was anything good in the pockets. She walked away empty handed.  _ It’s the longish silvery hair that made me mistake him for a crone _ , she mused.  _ He’s definitely thin enough for one, though I bet he was handsome when he was alive. Not many people have that kind of brown-green eyes. _

**Author's Note:**

> So, did Ser kill his brother or himself?


End file.
